This invention relates generally to systems and processes for assisted or monitored weight lifting during rehabilitation or training exercise, and more particularly relates to such systems and processes utilizing weight lifting equipment comprising free weights or stacked weight plates raised and lowered during the exercise operation, the amount of weight being selectable by the user.
Rehabilitating weakened muscles or increasing muscle mass for health or athletic reasons through weight lifting is well known, and typically involves the use of free weights, weight machines utilizing stacked weight plates, or resistance or tension bands made of an elastic material. Free weights typically involve weight plates mounted onto the ends of a bar. Weight machines having stacked weight plates usually comprise a vertically elongated frame having an upper pulley through which a cable is suspended down to a weight mounting assembly comprising a descending rod member. The weight plates are stacked in flat layers and each plate is provided with a central opening through which the rod member extends in the neutral status. The weight plates and the rod member are provided with coordinating apertures through which a removable pin member is horizontally inserted, the location of the pin member determining the total number of weight plates to lifted during the weight lifting exercise. The other end of the cable, which may pass through additional pulleys, is attached to a handle or other gripping device, or is attached to a movable member of a user receiving structure, such as a bench, seat or the like upon which the user sits or lies during the weight lifting operation. Such user receiving structures may be dedicated to particular exercise or working particular muscle groups, such as for example leg lifts, leg curls, bench presses, arm curls, etc.
The weight lifting operation is divided into a concentric phase and an eccentric phase. In the concentric phase the weights are being lifted or raised, and during the eccentric phase the weights are being lowered. Rehabilitation and training exercise programs typically include sets and repetitions of a single exercise, wherein the user performs the same exercise, such as for example a leg curl, for multiple repetitions, the number of repetitions and the weight amount being chosen such that the exercise becomes increasingly difficult over the course of the repetitions due to muscle fatigue, which in turn causes muscle development.
It is known that rehabilitation of muscles and increase in muscle mass can be more quickly achieved if some lifting assistance is provided during the concentric phase of the latter repetitions in a set. This may be accomplished by assistance from another person or through mechanical systems that have been developed. Likewise, it is also sometimes useful from a safety, rehabilitation or training viewpoint to provide some assistance during the eccentric phase.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system and a process that improves and is distinct from the known systems and processes utilized in assisting and/or monitoring weight lifting during rehabilitation or training exercises performed with free weights or stacked plate weight machines. This and other objects, as will be made clear from the discussion to follow, will be accomplished by providing a system and process that selectively provides lifting assistance during the concentric phase and possibly during the eccentric phase, that is programmable to provide a variety of exercise programs dedicated to a particular user, and that monitors the progress of the user during the exercise selectively respond to certain conditions or triggers.